There is a killer stalking you!
He is silent and unseen. But deadly just the same. Each year, this killer claims the lives of more than 400 Americans. Most never sense any impending danger.
In late June he took the life of a thirteen-year-old girl in Iowa. Last week, he killed two men in Belmont, Mississippi. The killer? Carbon monoxide poisoning.
I tell you that, not to frighten you into running out to buy a CO alarm (though it’s not a bad idea). No, I tell you that to compare it to another invisible, silent killer – busy schedules. Yes, you read that right. Those packed planners that we point to with pride can actually be very deadly.
We think working extra hours proves us to be productive. We think that filling our evenings with endless activities for our children shows us to be good parents. We believe weekends overflowing with recreation demonstrate what fun-loving people we are.
But, Jesus raised an alarm about being too busy. It can be deadly. Jesus used a plant to illustrate the dangers of an overly packed planner.
Some seeds, he said, like some believers, sprout up only to then be choked out by thorns. They “hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).
I know you’re busy. I am, too. But, we must be careful about the “worries of this life.” If we don’t have time for God’s word, we are too busy – dangerously busy. If other things crowd God out, we are in great danger like the unsuspecting plant of being entangled in thorns and deprived of light. Like the person breathing CO, we will be deprived of oxygen and lose consciousness. Eventually, death results.
Americans are busier than ever. And going to church less than ever. Seems harmless, but it’s not. An unseen killer hopes to replace our spiritual life with deadly substitutes.
Perhaps it’s time for us to reschedule – to make time to breathe deeply of God’s life-giving word. Let’s take every opportunity to be in church and Bible classes. The word produces fruit, but its absence produces death.